Time and convenience are in short supply for homemakers wishing to supply a home-cooked meal to family members. Some appliances, such as slow-cooker appliances, attempt to meet this need by providing all-day cooking while a homemaker is absent. Such appliances, however, tend to be of the type where only one temperature and all day cooking is possible, regardless of the food item. This method of cooking potentially subjects the food item to over or under-cooking. Another option may be to use a cooking unit with a controller, where a user may set a desired time or temperature. These units, however, tend to be more expensive and larger than simpler slow-cooker appliances. Furthermore, a wide variety of existing slow-cooker appliances exist and are already present in homes. The consumer may not always be willing to purchase a second slow cooker to obtain the programmable features.
What is needed is a device and a method to convert a conventional slow-cooker appliance into an appliance in which the homemaker can control the time and temperature of cooking and in which the controller does not become overheated and damaged by the heating element.
The invention is a programmable slow-cooker add-on accessory, connected between a slow-cooker appliance and a source of electric power, such as a wall electric outlet. In one embodiment, the accessory comprises a housing having two electrical connectors, and includes a programmable controller mounted within the housing to control a conventional slow-cooker appliance. In another embodiment of the invention, the electric connectors comprise a male and a female connector, the male connector for connection to a wall outlet, and a female connector for connection to the slow-cooker appliance.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of using the programmable controller to ensure that food is cooked according to the desires of a user. The user provides a food item and places the food item into the slow-cooker appliance, as described above. The user sets a cooking time and temperature for the programmable slow-cooker accessory, using the controller to set both the time and the temperature. The cooking time according to one embodiment may not be set less than four hours, and the temperature may not be set for less than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius). This prevents a user from accidentally setting the accessory to a xe2x80x9cwarmxe2x80x9d temperature, in which food would only be warmed but not cooked thoroughly before consumption. In one embodiment, if the user sets no time or temperature, but merely turns the cooker on, the cooker defaults to a particular time and temperature. The time and temperature are set by the user or the factory, such as a default setting of four hours and 175 degrees Fahrenheit or eight hours and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.